MENIFEE- After following two juveniles home, a man assaulted the children and was subsequently found and arrested.
On Tuesday, July 21, in what has to be a parent’s worst nightmare, officers from the Menifee Police Department responded to a call involving an attack on children in their residence the 29000 block of Camino Cristal in the city of Menifee.
When officers arrived they were told that a man had entered the children’s home while they were alone and had assaulted them. The suspect fled the location prior to police arrival. Officers began a search of the surrounding neighborhood and were able to locate a suspect matching the description of the attacker.
A neighbor captured Orrantia’s arrest
According to Sergeant Glenn Williams in a press release from the Riverside Sheriff’s Department, the suspect had purposely followed the unsuspecting children inside a residence where the assault occurred. One of the children was able to flee the house during the assault and notified a parent.
The suspect has been identified as 19-year-old Menifee resident Michael Orrantia. Orrantia was arrested and booked into the Southwest Detention Center, located in Temecula, for burglary, sexual assault on a child and false imprisonment.
One of Orrantia’s Facebook shots
The Sheriff’s Department reports that the incident appears to be isolated and there are no suspects outstanding. However, the Department also included a public service announcement reminding parents to discuss personal safety with their children, reminding them to always being aware of their surroundings as well as a plan of action if contacted by a stranger.
Information regarding the “Stranger Danger” program can be found at the Perris Sheriff’s Station and at the website, http://www.strangerdangerprogram.com.
Anyone with additional information regarding this investigation is encouraged to contact Master Investigator Pluimer at the Menifee Police Department by calling (951) 210-1000, or PerrisStation@RiversideSheriff.org
Arrest scene photo: courtesy Menifee 24/7
